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Beatle on Mercury

John Lennon lives on – but not on Earth. The late Beatle, along with author Truman Capote, is among the namesakes for 10 craters recently discovered on Mercury by NASA's Messenger probe. Tradition states that craters are named after deceased artists and authors.

Heavenly weather

The UK is to become one of a handful of countries that forecast the weather in space. Solar flares and space storms can disrupt satellites, GPS and radio communications. The UK Met Office has teamed up with partners in the US to provide daily forecasts that will help protect vital services from celestial disruptions.

Rescue robots are go

A two-legged robot called Schaft has won the penultimate round of DARPA's rescue challenge – intended to encourage the creation of robots that can help out in a disaster. During the 2-day competition in Florida, Google-owned Schaft climbed a 2.4-metre-high ladder, closed valves and cut through concrete walls. The winner of the final in late 2014 will be awarded $2 million.

Cracking pardon

Alan Turing, the British mathematician famed for breaking the German enigma code, arguably helping to end the second world war, has received a posthumous royal pardon. Turing lost his job and was chemically castrated after being convicted for homosexual activity in 1952. He committed suicide two years later.

Antarctica's icy grasp

A second rescue mission has failed to reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy, the scientific research vessel that has been stuck in ice off the coast of Antarctica since 25 December. The vessel intended to repeat studies carried out in 1911 to see how the area had changed over a century. Fifty scientists and tourists now await clear weather for evacuation.

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